A recent Year 6 SATs question has left many adults baffled, particularly due to the explanation behind the "correct" answer.
The question was designed to test grammar knowledge, and while many adults managed to provide the correct answer, they struggled to articulate the reason behind it.
The situation became even more confounding as some individuals claimed that the explanation caused their brains to "switch off."
The challenge was presented by a social media influencer known as Sarah, also referred to as the Grammar Slammer.
Sarah, who is not only an educator but also a parent, has gained a following of 15,000 on social media, where she regularly shares SATs teasers.
She aims to provide educational content and engage adults in testing their knowledge of grammar.
Sarah wanted to find out how well adults understood English grammar. She asked them to add a comma to the sentence: "Every night Dad and my brother take the dog for a walk."
For those who might have nodded off during English class, Sarah made it clear where the comma should go.
After the words "every night." She explained that commas are used to separate parts of sentences, like phrases and clauses.
In this sentence, "every night" tells us when the action happens, so it's called a "fronted adverbial," and it needs a comma after it.
Interestingly, some TikTok users who correctly answered the question admitted that they couldn't explain the reasoning behind it.
They simply believed that the comma should be placed where it feels natural to take a breath while reading the sentence aloud.
However, Sarah promptly dismissed this notion, clarifying that while we do pause at commas when reading, that is not their primary purpose.
I’m amazed I got it right. Why does Dad have a capital yet brother does not. Something about proper noun but like to know, one user said.
I got it right but didn’t know the reason. It’s just the place where it makes sense to take a breath, the second said.
I got it right but the real answer is “this is a poor sentence and should be rewritten,” the third user commented.
we need a better way of teaching this stuff, as soon as clauses and adverbial phrases come up, my brains switched off cause it sounds complicated, another wrote.
